Photo: Pat Pilon
Recently, Prince William decided to retire from the military so he could devote himself to his wife and his new child. It was a simple choice and a nice change of pace for the prince, who had focused on being a search and rescue helicopter operator for the RAF.
One would think this would be a decision without controversy. However, approximately two days after the prince left the military, two of the guard dogs assigned to protect him, Brus and Blade, were put down. The dogs had been serving in the role since Prince William joined the military in 2010. Brus, a Belgian shepherd was 7 and a half years old and Blade, a German Shepherd was 9 and a half years old. Brus, was known for having behavioral issues and Blade had issues with his spine and hips. Still, that's no reason for euthanization.
Now, the Ministry of Defence says that it's a "coincidence" and that they both had behavioral issues. It has been said that the military tried to rehome them, but it failed.
Harrowing Questions
Which makes me wonder, did they really do everything they could or was it the easy way out? First of all, the dogs were hired to guard the whole military base, not just Prince William. Why couldn't they have been kept on the base till they were ready to retire?
Many dogs are given to one of the soldiers when their military job comes to an end. Did the decision makers at the RAF even consider this?
It has been said that the dogs were stressed out. Well, when I'm stressed out, I take some time and retreat to a peaceful and quiet place to de-stress. Why couldn't that be done for Brus and Blade?
There are so many specially trained dog experts out there. Why couldn't the dogs have been sent to them?
What about approaching animal advocates? Victoria Stilwell is one of the biggest proponents for protecting animals and she is from Great Britain. Why couldn't they ask her for any help?
If that didn't work, then why not put the dogs in a special dog sanctuary, so they could live out their last years in peace? There was a dog retrieved in the Michael Vick debacle named Mabel. Mabel was deemed too dangerous by a court judge to ever live in a household. She was given a pass to live in the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and has come a long way since 2007. Am I supposed to believe that two highly trainable dogs who were trained to guard, couldn't do the same thing?
This story reeks of laziness and that's why dog lovers around the world are livid. The only thing that the RAF and the Ministry of Defence has proven is that how they have hid behind excuses instead of facing the problem head on and finding a solution. Maybe there's nothing that can be done know but at least, there is something to be learned from this travesty for the future.
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